#24. What Condition is it in?
One of the most important considerations
when buying vintage is the condition. Reputable
dealers will readily disclose any flaws and
many have devised a list of general categories
the customer can refer to. On my site the
categories are as follows.
Mint: Never used, no visible flaws.
Excellent
: Barely used, no visible flaws
Very Good:
Worn, but still in good shape. May have small
flaws or
repairs, which are explained. The repairs
are not noticeable.
Good:
Worn but in good shape. Has small flaws or
repairs which
are explained. On close inspection they are
usually
noticeable but don't affect the appearance
of the item when
worn.
Fair
: These items have flaws or repairs which
are noticeable and
are addressed. I avoid flawed merchandise
as a rule, so most
of these pieces have redeeming qualities
which I usually
explain or comment on
Most of our web merchandise is in the excellent
category. It makes things simpler for all.
In the shop I am SLIGHTLY less fussy because
the customer is able to see first hand the
vintage condition and determine if it is
up to their standards. Still I am very particular.
Most people who buy vintage understand that
it has been around for sometime and will
not appear like brand new off the rack merchandise.
However they do expect a certain level of
quality. When you buy your vintage from a
good dealer you will be paying retail and
can expect these pieces to be without significant
flaws. We do the hunting, mending and often
the cleaning so you don't have to. I'm proud
to say our customers truly appreciate the
consistently fine condition of our merchandise
and consider the price well worth it. Still
many of my customers occasionally like to
hunt for vintage treasures at flea markets
and charity shops. It's fun and there are
great bargains to be found. I highly recommend
this but there are some things to keep in
mind about condition.
Fabric and leather are susceptible to the
elements and even if a garment was never
worn it could still have suffered damage.
Most common are fading, mildew damage and
moth damage. As well as perspiration stains,
split seams, old attic smell, missing buttons,
broken zippers and other types of stains.
There are some things that can be restored.
The big question being what problems are
and are not possible to correct.
As a rule underarm stains on natural fibers
are not removable. The salts and proteins
in perspiration react with the dyes in the
fabric and fade them permanently. Back when
women threw nothing away they might save
such a garment by cutting out the stained
area and inserting gussets stolen from the
hem or by using a piece of matching fabric.
Many women sewed their own clothing and kept
the left over scraps for future mending.
Today few have the time or skill to do this
and to pay a good dressmaker would be costly.
So for all intents and purposes perspiration
stains are a fatal flaw. Perspiration stains
are not to be confused with deodorant stains.
The white powdery residue from deodorant
can sometimes be laundered out especially
from nylon, acrylic and polyester. If the
item is synthetic and washable chances are
you will be able to launder out deodorant
residue.
Mildew is also very problematic. It has a
terrible odor and produces ugly stains. Mildew
does not just sit on the surface of material.
It is a microscopic plant (mold) that invades
the fibers and actually eats cellulose (cotton,
linen, ramie, rayon). Clothing that has been
kept in a damp warm environment will inevitably
grow mildew. All natural fibers are susceptible
to mildew damage and even synthetics can
suffer if mildew is left on for extended
periods of time. The stains are very stubborn
and can be permanent. If mildew is caught
in time the garment might be saved with care.
The smell can be removed with thorough cleaning
and drying in the sun (no dryer). Stains
can be faded with oxi-clean or bleach but
this is only possible on fabrics that can
handle these products. I generally pass on
vintage with mildew problems. If an item
is special enough for me to attempt a rescue
and if I am successful I tell the customer
I have restored the garment. There can be
no trace odor, stains or weak fabric resulting.
Mildew damage is serious and I suggest you
pass.
Fading is another sad situation. It is not
just sunlight that fades fabric. Fabrics
can fade just from exposure to impurities
in the air. This is referred to as "gas
fading". The most common areas are the
shoulders and hem. There are people who can
restore color to older textiles but the cost
is terrific. It can run into hundreds of
dollars and is mostly only done on museum
quality pieces. However if the fading is
minimal you might be surprised how hard it
is to detect when the item is worn. Fading
usually looks worse on the hanger. I suggest
you put it on look in the mirror to see if
the fading is noticeable then ask someone
else what they think. The fading can't be
fixed but you might be able to live with
it.
Stains are another issue. Some are removable
others absolutely not. I am fairly good at
recognizing a stain that can be removed but
even with my knowledge and experience I get
fooled. The older a stain is the harder it
will be to remove. If a dress was put in
the attic 30 years ago with a stain on it
you can pretty much bet it is there to stay.
You might be able to fade it down but chemical
changes have occurred to the dye and the
color will never be the same. The easiest
garments to clean are the synthetics polyester,
acrylic and nylon. White cottons and linens
are also fairly easy to remove spots from
and they respond well to Oxi-Clean. I have
a good stain removal guide on the website
at this link. Stain Removal
If you buy vintage earlier than the 1940s
you may have run into a problem called shattering.
The material appears to split for no reason.1920s
beaded dresses are notorious for this problem.
Nothing you can do will fix this. The fabric
has deteriorated. If it is just under the
arms and was caused by perspiration you may
be able to add gussets after cutting out
the compromised fabric. Some of these dresses
are worth this effort. If the shattering
is across the shoulders or anywhere else
forget it. Old silks are the worst. The textile
manufacturers weighted these fabrics with
heavy metal salts which over the years has
destroyed the fibers.
OK enough bad news. There are some problems
easier to fix than you think. If you come
across something with a broken zipper don't
be too quick to dismiss it. Sometimes the
zipper slide just goes off track. If there
are no broken or warped teeth you can remove
the metal bar at the end of the zipper with
pliers and thread the slide back on. Make
sure you put a good strong tack with thread
at the base to of the zipper to prevent it
from opening. Also zippers are not as expensive
to replace as you think. If it is a couture
dress it will cost more because of the hand
finishing but on most dresses they can just
be put in by machine. The range is anywhere
from as low as $15 to $50. To save money
ask your seamstress if you can remove the
old zipper saving her time and you a few
dollars. Some will say no because they worry
you may cause damage but others are just
as happy not to have to do this tedious chore.
Missing buttons are an easy fix. Just snip
off the remaining buttons and replace all
with a new set. It is nice to try to match
the era but modern buttons in a matching
color will work just fine. It is best to
use modern buttons that are simple so the
styles don't clash. Another wonderful little
secret is to dye vintage white Mother of
Pearl buttons with Rit dye. That way you
can have vintage buttons in any color you
like. It is easy to do on the stove top just
like you are dying a small piece of fabric.
Make sure you dye more than you need. One
or two may have hairline cracks you do not
see and will not make it through the process
intact. Plus it is nice to have extras in
case you loose one.
Moth holes are the bane of my existence.
I try to love all of Gods creatures but moths
and me, we are mortal enemies. I think the
last straw was when I bought a gorgeous 1950s
Christian Dior cocktail dress in tissue wool
crepe. I had not looked close enough and
when I got home one entire shoulder was riddled
with small holes. I tried to repair this
but the fabric was so fine and there were
so many holes it was a lost cause. To have
it professionally rewoven would have cost
more than the value of the dress. ARRGH!
That was a bad one but not all moth damage
is hopeless. If you have tweeds or textured
wool's it is not that hard to reweave a small
section or two. In order to exactly match
the wool I try to tease a couple strands
out of the hem allowance. I use these to
stitch back and forth from behind a few parallel
rows until the hole is filled. Then I weave
in and out in the other direction. Press
and voila no more moth hole! This takes practice
and is time consuming but very satisfying
when you can save a lovely vintage wool jacket,
coat or skirt. I have an entire article on
my enemy the clothes moth if you would like
to learn more. Here is the link Moths.
A lot of older garments have split seams.
Knits and bias cut garments have a lot of
stress on the seams and they tend to split
open. This does not doom the piece at all.
If the fabric is still strong then it is
quick and easy to stitch the seam back up.
Holes are another story. If they are tiny
pin holes a couple little stitches with matching
thread will do the trick or you might not
even bother if they are not apparent. Larger
holes are a problem. Years ago especially
during the depression women would steal a
bit of matching fabric from inside a pocket
or from the hem and make a neat patch. If
you are really good at it and the hole is
not too big the patch will blend well. If
a hole is too big or there is no matching
fabric try a decorative solution. A pretty
applique, bow or even a fancy button over
the hole might work if the location is convenient.
Frayed necklines and sleeve edges can be
doctored with trims or braid. If you are
good with a needle you can reinforce a frayed
edge with embroidery floss and a small even
blanket stitch. The effect is quite handsome
and sturdy. Make sure you pre shrink embroidery
floss before using so it does not cause puckering
after the first washing.
Finally if garments are clean but have that
old "winter in the attic smell"
a good shake out and a day in the fresh air
might be all you need.
Happy Happy vintage hunting!